Company connects Linux to home entertainment system

By Tina Gasperson
News Editor
Linux is breaking into the home entertainment market with the first digital entertainment system based upon the Open Source operating system.

Indrema, the company responsible for creating the system, says it is a big supporter of the Open Source community. With the release of the multi-purpose entertainment console, Indrema furthers the push to get Linux embedded in appliances and electronic devices.

Indrema claims that the system is ready to go "out of the box" for playing 3D games, browsing the Internet, watching TV, and listening to MP3s. The promise of such ease of use may seem surprising to those familiar with the somewhat steeper learning curve sometimes attributed to the Linux OS.

But Indrema insists it is true: You won't need to be familiar with Linux in order to operate the Indrema entertainment system. "Absolutely no Linux knowledge is necessary for the consumer. This is a completely plug-and-play system," says Indrema publicist Mindy Krufky.

That should make the Indrema digital entertainment system eligible to become "the" breakthrough product that many in the Open Source community has been looking for -- one that appeals to and is embraced by the general public and smashes psychological paradigms that have kept newbies from switching to Linux.

Indrema isn't wasting any time exploiting the multipurpose console's potential for financial success, either. Last week, the company announced it is teaming up with Red Hat to distribute DV Linux, a "universal standard operating system for console video gaming and TV-based entertainment applications."

The company also announced that LinuxCare, an Open Source technical support firm based in San Francisco, will support developers working on top of the DV Linux platform by offering technical support and other services to Indrema partners. And Indrema is teaming with CollabNet, another San Francisco Open Source company that offers a suite of collaborative services to developers, to build the Indrema Developer Network, an online developer community and support network for the Indrema platform.

"By creating the Indrema Developer Network, CollabNet and Indrema are bringing the Open Source model to a new audience of developers," said Bernie Mills, vice president of marketing at CollabNet.